For many of you it would just be a number. ” Yeah ! Okay 7 army personnels just died. Sad! I just tweeted about it. We should have another surgical strikes man. What is government doing?Anyway what’s the score? Who’s batting?” But before making such empathetic obituaries on twitter and facebook do you realise few things about these death rather martyrdom? Let me clarify it further.

Do you realise few families have lost everything within minutes? Their hopes,dreams,laughter,ambition,peace basically their lives!

Do you realise every single bullet taken by those martyrs were meant for 100 random civilians?

Do you realise the gravity of Mumbai attacks or blast was due to the absence of these military personnels? And of course everyone victimised that time was saved again by this same lot!

Do you realise a brave man with gun in hand and iron in heart who killed a terrorist just saved some 100s of random families today while risking his?

Do you realise it might have been you or your brother,father,son getting shot dead too?

Now do you realise how tough it would be for friends and family of the martyrs right now?

Discussing about role and perks of armed forces is our another hobby after cricket and politics (yeah they still holds the top positions). India as a democratic country takes the freedom of speech pretty seriously and how dare you pointing fingers on them be it a TV channel or a mango man for talking about national security or anything related? How dare the veterans asking more OROP when the military personnels are already getting so much? What the heck is Military-Civil Rank parity and isn’t a colonel is just a 10th passed? How much respect he demands (believe me I heard such a bizarre comment on one of the groups discussing the downgrading of military ranks) ? Don’t you think Rs 500000 is enough for the families of martyrs of URI Attacks? Oh, the police personnels don’t even get that much! What do army personnels do anyway? Just enjoy their convoy of gypsies and chaps!

Really? Really? Are we really a generation of ***holes? We really think this way and our maximum level of respect for our soldiers lies in our twitter posts. Tell me how many candle marches have been conducted for martyrs? Corruption,rape and murder tops the chart here. Leave a candle march even a rally to say thank you to our soldiers would have been a great morale lifting idea but then martyrdom in this country is just some fancy idea which is sobbed into movie halls when Akshay Kumar dies! Again…Are we really ***holes? No ? Then what is the problem?

Ask yourself honestly how many times you felt unhappy seeing your friends or relatives who are serving in Army enjoying (which you assumed) their lives? And did you ever say thank you to them? How many times you cursed the army personnels when you saw the veterans protesting for OROP march believing they already have more than you? And did you ever tried stepping out of your houses to stand with them like you did for Anna? Why? Because military is theirs and corruption is yours? Corruption affects your life and you think you have nothing to do with military? Really?

So you think that saving your *ss is their jobs and they are getting payed for it. So what? After all they chose it! Now tell me how many times you felt like killing your boss when he asked you to work overtime for an overseas deadline? And how you felt like putting up the paper when your boss cancelled your leaves? And also tell me how many MNCs you have forwarded your resume to work with another MNC because your pay package is not enough? What do think military personnels are god? They never have leaves,fixed pays till eternity and also have other professional and personal things just like you including sending their kids to the best schools the city has to offer but they died one day and you rarely have this opportunity. But it’s hardly a deal because they chose for it.

Now let me clarify you few more things

First of all military personnels dont choose for the job, the job chooses them and only the best are chosen.

Their kids are smarter because they have struggled during their schoolings. And trust me it’s not easy to leave your friends,your favourite ice cream spot,your favourite teacher at the age of 3,6,8,10,12,14,16..yes the best they can get is a two year uninterrupted stay a place but not a guarantee. And it hurts the serving dads too just like any other dads in the country.

Their wives look smart because they have taken every single responsibility of their husbands and never involves them into their domestic problems on their fragile shoulders. Trust me they also have evil mother in laws and vampy sister in laws but they don’t have time to bitch about them.

The wives lead a fancy life because they know what matters the most is the good times spent with their husbands at last not the money or jewellery in the locker. Trust me they also fear retirement and plan what they will leave to their kids but then it’s the life which is more precious.

Now do you understand the complication,pain and fear an army officer to deal with along with such a challenging job where there are no deadlines,recession or fear of getting sacked. Their job is really simple as compared to yours basically just choosing between life or death in return of the pay checks and government houses that the indian government is offering them. But they don’t decide the time and place death basically choose them or someone around them.

And we can’t get over the feeling of comparing between our perks versus them, our lives versus their lives, our facilities versus their facilities and so on. You still don’t get it? Yes they deserve every single facility that this country can offer them as a soldier and as a veteran because they are special. And don’t keep an iota of doubt about it yes, they are special and better than you.The heroic tales are good to listen but try to meet the real heroes sometimes too and try to imbibe the real feeling unlike what media tells you. But we still don’t get it, we’ll talk about it for a week and forget it now who talks about URI Attacks in Jammu and Kashmir ? No one really! We basically talk about what Kejriwal said about surgical strikes or how Shahrukh visited a martyr (though they never do, bollywood is more busy making money but we’ll surely go to their gates on their birthdays no matter how many times we are kicked out, A martyr family next door does not mean anything) because we are a generation of ***holes. But now can you forget these faces

He was Major Akshay Girish with his wife. He looks like leading a normal life. He’s martyred fighting terrorists and saving you and your family. But what would happen to his family now? Now look at this

He is Major Kunal. He looks like a jovial simple guy. Right? He’s no more too. He lost his life saving yours too just like six other people with him. Now look at this

They have friends and families too. You get it what I am trying to say? They are very much human just like you and me.This 7 dead is not a number but 7 families. Have shame, have mercy next time when you think of commenting on what army is doing? What it should do? How audacious military pay packages are? How shameless veterans are to ask more? And how they are paid to do their jobs? Just have some shame next time! It’s okay you can’t carry a candle march, you can’t fund their kids education, you can’t meet the martyr’s old parents and wife. It’s all okay! Just think twice before talking about armed forces and how much you loathe them. And if you have someone in the family serving in the army try to idolise them,take their autographs and feel happy for them.

Jai Hind!

picture credits: from the facebook profiles of martyrs and a friend

RIP My brothers! RIP my friends! RIP my angels! This one’s for you only because you went away too soon and I tried to speak up from your behalf to those people who will still debate your martyrdom and I am so sorry for your loss! Yes, For your loss my brothers!

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Published by Swapnil Pandey

The chief editor Swapnil Pandey is a Westland-amazon published author and wrote two books 'Love story of a commando' and Soldier's girl''. Both books have been hugely successful and Amazon reviews are all filled with wonderful remarks. She is an Alumni of prestigious BIT Mesra with a work experience of over 10 years with various companies. The girlandworld.com is one of the few individual websites in India to cross 6 lac lac hits till now and has the privilege of representing 100s of prestigious brands. The website is also collaborated with several brands. The social media reach of the website is extremely impressive with its very connected audience base of lakhs of people over Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The girlandworld team aims to develop effective organic connections between the Brand and the people,only to be functional to both the sides. View all posts by Swapnil Pandey

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The chief editor Swapnil Pandey is a Westland-amazon published author and wrote two books 'Love story of a commando' and Soldier's girl''. Both books have been hugely successful and Amazon reviews are all filled with wonderful remarks. She is an Alumni of prestigious BIT Mesra with a work experience of over 10 years with various companies. The girlandworld.com is one of the few individual websites in India to cross 6 lac lac hits till now and has the privilege of representing 100s of prestigious brands. The website is also collaborated with several brands. The social media reach of the website is extremely impressive with its very connected audience base of lakhs of people over Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The girlandworld team aims to develop effective organic connections between the Brand and the people,only to be functional to both the sides.